TOPS aid clears House with tougher standards
BATON ROUGE — House lawmakers voted 53-32 on Tuesday for legislation that would raise the minimum grade-point average to receive a TOPS scholarship from 2.5 to 2.75, despite some lawmakers arguing it could exclude students in underprivileged families.
House Bill 117, by Rep. Franklin Foil, R-Baton Rouge, heads to the Senate for consideration.
The measure would raise the minimum GPA for the TOPS Opportunity Award. It would apply to students graduating from high school during or after the 2020-21 school year.
The GPA’s for the TOPS Tech, Performance and Honors awards, along with the minimum 20 ACT score would remain unchanged.
Foil said the legislation would stabilize funding for the scholarship program. The fiscal note said the high-end savings could range from $5.1 million to $7.5 million.
Several lawmakers voiced support for raising the benchmark to get TOPS assistance. Rep. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, said he received TOPS assistance after graduating from high school. He said the legislation is a “step in the right direction” and would motivate students to perform better academically.
“When we create a culture of low expectations, you get what you’re asking for,” James said. “If we could afford TOPS at 2.5, we would do it.”
Several lawmakers said the bill would prevent students who need TOPS assistance from getting it. Rep. Joseph Bouie, D-New Orleans, said the higher GPA would mean the loss of TOPS for over 1,800 students if the policy were in place now.
“Where do we stop in terms of raising the bar,” he asked.
Lawmakers approved an amendment by Rep. Gary Carter, D-New Orleans, to take savings from raising the GPA and apply it to the needs-based GO Grant Award. But Foil later proposed an amendment to remove the change — which the House approved. Foil said he plans to work with Carter on the legislation as it moves through the Senate.
Reps. Mark Abraham, R-Lake Charles, Mike Danahay, D-Sulphur, Stephen Dwight, R-Moss Bluff, John Guinn, R-Jennings, and Dorothy Sue Hill, D-Dry Creek, supported the measure.
Reps. A.B. Franklin, D-Lake Charles, and Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville, opposed it. Reps. Frank Howard, R-Many, and James Armes, D-Leesville, were marked as absent.
Juvenile parole
Lawmakers voted 82-3 for legislation by Sen. Dan Claitor, D-Baton Rouge, that would offer juveniles sentenced to life in prison the chance for parole after serving 30 years. The bill was approved with no debate on the House floor.
Senate Bill 16 was amended to extend the time served before being eligible for parole from 25 to 30 years. The change sends the bill back to the Senate for concurrence. The Senate voted 22-13 to approve a previous draft of the measure April 26.
Claitor is sponsoring the bill in an effort to align Louisiana with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said juvenile imprisonment without the possibility of parole violates the Eighth Amendment.
Hill was the only Southwest Louisiana lawmaker to oppose the legislation.
Human trafficking
Two measures by Sen. Ronnie Johns, R-Sulphur, cleared the House floor. S.B. 41 was approved with a 91-0 vote. It would allow currency, instruments or securities seized during a human trafficking raid to be spread among three places.
The measure was approved with amendments, sending it back to the Senate for concurrence. The amendment changed the bill to apply to sex offenses involving people under 18.
Half of the cash seized would go to the Exploited Children’s Special Fund. The rest would be split between the prosecuting agency and the law enforcement agencies involved in the arrest.
The House voted 87-0 for S.B. 42, which would create the Louisiana Human Trafficking Prevention Commission and Advisory Board.